Ocean City Barons
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| Full name | Ocean City Nor'easters |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Nor'easters |
| Founded | 1996 (as South Jersey Barons) |
| Stadium |
Carey Stadium Ocean City, New Jersey |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Owner | Giancarlo Granese |
| General Manager | TBA |
| Coach | John Thompson |
| League | Premier Development League |
| 2016 | 2nd, Mid Atlantic Division Playoffs: Eastern Conference champions |
| Website | Club home page |
Ocean City Nor'easters is an American soccer team based in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1996, the team currently plays in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.
The team plays its home games at Carey Stadium which is located right next to the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. The stadium's nickname is "The Beach House" and they have played there since 2005. The team's colors 1are royal blue and orange.
They are among the most successful USL Premier Development League teams since joining the league in 2003. Since 2003, they have the sixth-best regular season record and the sixth-best home record in the PDL. They are also one of the best amateur clubs in the country when it comes to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. As a PDL team, they have won eight games with five of them coming against professional opponents. Only two amateur teams (Michigan Bucks with 9 and Des Moines Menace with 7) have more pro team upsets in the Modern Era (1995–present).
In 2008, the Barons formed a partnership with Reading of the English Football League Championship. In 2010, following a split between the PDL team and their youth soccer affiliate, the team re-branded to Ocean City FC, adopted Reading's colors, and a similar badge. The team also adopted a new nickname: the Nor'easters. Since the re-brand the team has won two Eastern Conference championships (2013, 2016)
The club was founded in 1996 as the South Jersey Barons and joined the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL) as a professional franchise, competing in the USISL D-3 Pro League (now the United Soccer League). In 1998, in only their second year in existence, the Barons won the Mid-Atlantic Division title. The next year, they followed that up with a second straight playoff appearance and a run to the USISL D-3 national championship game. On September 11, 1999, the Barons, playing the title game on the road, lost 2–1 to the Western Mass Pioneers. The Barons made a third straight playoff appearance in 2000, but would struggle for the next three years, never finishing above fourth place in the division.
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